Dying Matters Week events to help people manage funeral costs

Most of us think a funeral costs around $10,000. The real figure is often higher, and it tends to arrive as a surprise at the worst possible time. This Dying Matters Week, a series of workshops around the country are helping people understand exactly what a funeral costs in New Zealand, and what can be done to bring that cost down without losing dignity or meaning.

Recent industry figures put the average cremation at roughly $11,700 and the average burial at around $14,300, with costs climbing well beyond that depending on the choices made. Government support doesn’t stretch far either: the Work and Income Funeral Grant is means-tested and capped at just over $2,600, nowhere near enough to cover a typical funeral on its own. For many families, the bill is settled from an estate that doesn’t have the funds, or paid by whānau already carrying the weight of a loss.

The good news is that cost and dignity aren’t opposites. There are more affordable paths through a farewell than most people realise, from DIY elements of the process to simply understanding which costs are essential and which aren’t. Knowing the options in advance, rather than mid-grief, is what makes the real difference.